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ABINGDON – Following a federal investigation, 21 defendants have entered guilty pleas related to the distribution of methamphetamine and firearms possession in Southwest Virginia and North Carolina.

U.S. Attorney Rick A. Mountcastle said Tuesday that Operation Rolling Thunder — an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and local law enforcement — has resulted in the dismantling of a meth trafficking organization in the region.

When Galax police arrived on the scene of the stabbing, Clayton was found on the floor in Room 11 with multiple stab wounds. Officers found three knives in the room, one of which was in Clayton’s chest.

As of Jan. 1, PUSH Ministries is moving from downtown Galax to Fairview in order to offset operating costs and make more room in its budget for helping others, according to Jill Burcham, the organization’s pastor and founder.

Sitting at her desk near the front door of their current location, huddled near a space heater, Burcham said that while the owner of their spot on Main Street had been very generous in donating the space for several years, they were now going to start charging rent.

WYTHEVILLE — Three teens are charged in connection with a double homicide in Wythe County, after the two victims’ bodies were found this week.

Raymond Lewis Rodriguez, 24, of Austinville, was one of two victims found Dec. 6 at a residence in Wythe County. The second victim was Aiden Dawson, 17, of Wytheville, who had been missing since Nov. 30. Both had been shot in the head, police said.

In a statement to TV station WDBJ-7, Rodriguez’s sister described Rodriguez and Dawson as “best friends.”

BAYWOOD — Two men were charged in connection with breaking and entering reports in the Baywood area of Grayson County last Wednesday, after authorities responded to a crash involving a car matching the suspect vehicle’s description.

The Rite-Aid in Galax will become a Walgreens on Dec. 13, according to a company spokesman.

Walgreens’ Director of External Communications Jim Cohn fielded questions by phone about the change of ownership taking place next week. In September, a deal was struck for Walgreens to purchase 1,932 Rite-Aid stores across the country for $4.4 billion. Rite-Aid will still own a little over half of its stores.

Twin County residents can rest assured that Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield policy changes coming in March 2018 will not affect their ability to access imaging services, according to Anthem media contact Scott Golden.

Beginning in March, the insurance provider — which is the only one available in Southwest Virginia still participating in the Affordable Care Act federal marketplace — will require enrollees to go to free-standing facilities for MRIs and CT scans, instead of having the procedures done at hospitals.

HILLSVILLE – Mailbox vandalism has spread to Carroll County, according to Sheriff J.B. Gardner.

Gardner reported that his office has received several complaints from citizens in different parts of the county about mailboxes being destroyed in recent days.

In Grayson County, the sheriff’s department is offering a $250 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of anyone damaging mailboxes. Sheriff Richard Vaughan said all areas of the county have been hit.